Center for Science in the Public Interest wants the USDA to name slaughterhouses and processing facilities who may be associated with the two recent Salmonella outbreaks tied to poultry. One of those outbreaks is ongoing.
An ongoing Salmonella Reading outbreak linked to raw turkey products has sickened 279 people and hospitalized 107 in the United States. One person living in California died in that outbreak. The last update on that outbreak was issued on February 15, 2019. And the Salmonella Infantis outbreak linked to raw chicken that sickened 129 people in the United States has just ended, according to the CDC. All the USDA will say is that these pathogens have been found in “many” processing establishments, and that “raw turkey products from a variety of sources are contaminated with Salmonella Reading.”
Several products were recalled in the raw turkey outbreak. Jennie-O recalled raw ground turkey, Woody’s Pet Food Deli recalled raw turkey pet food, and Raws for Paws recalled chubs of raw turkey pet food.
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help if you think you have been sickened with Salmonella food poisoning by calling 1-888-377-8900.
CSPI states that “Releasing the names of slaughterhouses involved in widespread outbreaks can help prevent illnesses by informing purchasing decisions, allowing consumers to take greater precautions in the kitchen, and providing companies with strong incentive to eliminate the pathogens.”
CSPI deputy director of regulatory affairs Sarah Sorscher said in a statement, “Rather than treat positive test results as a secret shared only with individual producers, the USDA should publicly release the information. By providing a more comprehensive picture of where the disease strain is appearing in the food supply, the USDA can help ensure that industry swiftly understands and eliminates the risk.”
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has also weighed in on this issue. In 2018, she criticized the USDA on their “lack of action in response to the raw chicken Salmonella outbreak.
